““A flashover was involved in the 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island that killed 100 people, a disaster that Mr. Kerber said the blaze in Switzerland appeared to resemble. In that case, pyrotechnics ignited by a band playing at the club, the Station, set soundproofing foam lining the walls and ceiling ablaze.”
— The New York Times
“Everyone was having fun and then I saw someone put a lit sparkler or a firework, like a candle in a champagne bottle, on a high table,” Julie (a teenage patron) said. “The sparks flew up to the ceiling and the whole thing ignited. In a few seconds, the entire ceiling was on fire.”
CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — In a horrific New Year’s Day tragedy dozens were killed and more than 100 injured after a nightclub allowed special effects sparklers as part of their Holiday celebration for the night.
Authorities in the small ski-town of Crans-Montana Switzerland are currently trying to account for those who were inside the ‘Le Constellation’ nightclub on New Year’s Eve 2025.
Multiple reports are that there are more than 40 dead and roughly 120 injured.
Most of those in attendance were young people, with a large portion being teenagers.
It is believed that several died from smoke inhalation and the fire, but also a large portion of the patrons were killed or injured in a stampede as people tried to flea.
An online article from Fox News reports: “The luxury Swiss Alps nightclub where at least 40 people were killed and nearly 120 others were injured in a New Year’s Eve inferno, had previously released a promotional video advertising flaming champagne bottles, which authorities deemed the cause of the tragedy.
Le Constellation, a bar in the resort town of Crans-Montana, Switzerland, posted the video on YouTube showing waitresses in helmets moving through the dark, crowded club carrying bottles topped with sparkling candles.”
In the footage, the bottles appear to be held high, at times nearly touching the ceiling.”
The videos circulating online are eerily similar to those from the horrific Great White rock show at ‘The Station‘ nightclub in West Warwick Rhode Island that took place back on February 3rd 2003.
In ‘The Station‘ nightclub fire, 100 people were killed and 230 injured.
Since that tragic evening in Rhode Island more than 20 years ago there have been other similar tragedies including incidents at the ‘República Cromañón‘ nightclub in Buenos Aries Aregentina in December 2004, the ‘Kiss‘ nightclub in Santa Mario Rio Grande du Sul, Brazil in January 2013, and another at the ‘Club Colectiv‘ bar in Bucharest, Romania in October 2015.
Pictured at right: An image from inside the ‘Le Constellation’ nightclub in Switzerland just after midnight on January 1st 2026 as patrons hold champagne bottles over their heads with sparklers inside the bottles.
Those sparklers then seemed to ignite the foam ceiling tiles which rapidly spread throughout the venue.
Wikipedia has a list that notes the following: “This is a list of notable nightclub fires at indoor and outdoor venues. Deadly nightclub fires often attribute to pyrotechnic failures, hence some of the list also feature in the list of fireworks accidents and incidents.”
The Argentinian tragedy from 2004 killed 194 and injured 1,492, the Brazilian tragedy from 2013 killed 242 people and 630 were injured, while the Romanian fire of 2015 killed 64 and injured 146.
As crazy as these numbers are… the amount of incidents is far greater than most know.
The above Wikipedia list notes that ‘The Station‘ fire at the Great White show, was actually the 39th incident on record in this list, with the first incident happening back in 1929 in Detroit Michigan.
In the last 20 odd years, there have actually been 30 more incidents bringing the total number of tragic venue / nightclub fires to 69, with 11 of them happening just in the last 4 years.
Almost all of these incidents have one thing in common, and that is the use of in-house pyro-technics or a variation of sparklers (fireworks) that are being used as a display for a live concert or entertainment setting of sorts.
CNN reports: “Sparklers on champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling likely caused the Swiss ski resort bar fire that killed at least 40 people during a New Year’s party, officials said today. This appeared to lead to a flashover, in which everything in a room ignites almost simultaneously. Swiss prosecutors have opened an investigation into possible criminal responsibility.”
The comparisons to the U.S. based fire in Rhode Island at ‘The Station‘ appears to be a direct comparison in many of the published articles covering the New Year’s Eve fire in Switzerland.
A New York Times article notes: “The cause of the fire that left dozens dead at a bar in Switzerland in the early hours of Thursday is still under investigation. But the Swiss authorities have said that it’s likely that the explosion reported from the site was caused by a flashover.
A flashover is a common and deadly phenomenon in which a fire in an enclosed space rapidly spreads, causing nearly everything in the room to ignite almost simultaneously, according to fire experts.”
The New York Times adds: “A flashover was involved in the 2003 nightclub fire in Rhode Island that killed 100 people, a disaster that Mr. Kerber said the blaze in Switzerland appeared to resemble. In that case, pyrotechnics ignited by a band playing at the club, the Station, set soundproofing foam lining the walls and ceiling ablaze.”
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